The NFL regular season may be over, but that doesn’t mean fantasy football has to stop. There are a number of variations of playoff fantasy leagues, but today, we are going to focus on one-and-done formats with our top start ’em picks for the Conference Championships.
What Are One-and-Done Fantasy Leagues?
Before we get to the picks, here is a very quick primer on one-and-done playoff fantasy football leagues.
Most leagues require a starting lineup similar to this: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, Flex. Each week, every manager in your league has the full player pool available to choose from.
But there’s a catch.
Once you use a player, you can’t use him again. That’s where the strategy comes in. You need to construct the highest-scoring lineup while making sure you still have options for subsequent rounds.
Below, you will find our recommended picks for the Conference Championship of the NFL playoffs. These are not going to simply be the best players at each position. Each player is carefully selected to maximize scoring potential throughout the entirety of the postseason.
Top Start ‘Em Picks for the Conference Championship Round
If you’ve been following my advice, well…sorry, everyone. Such is the nature of these contests. We were saving the Detroit Lions for this week or the Super Bowl and…well…they lost. Everyone who used Jahmyr Gibbs or Jameson Williams last week not only benefited from scoring more points, but they have more players available this week.
Nevertheless, we press on. Here is the lineup I am going with based on the players available.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
The plan was to use Jared Goff this week, guaranteeing one of Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen/Lamar Jackson available for the Super Bowl. But Jayden Daniels had other plans.
With neither NFC quarterback an option, we have no choice but to guess who will win the AFC Championship Game. And I think this is the year Allen finally gets Mahomes.
As you would imagine, that means this lineup will be heavy on the Kansas City Chiefs, hoping that we get a Buffalo Bills win and have them all on the table for the Super Bowl.
There are no real playing matchups anymore. We have two options. If you have both quarterbacks in either conference available, then take one from the other conference.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
I believe the Washington Commanders are going to do it. Jalen Hurts is not 100%, and the Philadelphia Eagles have not looked impressive. In fact, I think they would have lost to the Los Angeles Rams if the snow hadn’t impacted the second half.
That means it’s now or never for Saquon Barkley.
Of course, the best time to use Barkley was last week. He won’t have a better game than 200+ rushing yards and two touchdowns. And, of course, if we burn a bunch of Eagles this week and they win, we are cooked for the Super Bowl — that’s the nature of the beast.
Barkley totaled 296 rushing yards in his two meetings against the Commanders in the regular season, so we can still get a great performance out of him.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
It’s abundantly clear that Isiah Pacheco is nowhere near 100%. For the third consecutive game, Kareem Hunt out-snapped Pacheco and is also clearly the more trusted player near the goal line. Hunt has a short touchdown in three straight games, while Pacheco hasn’t scored since returning from injured reserve.
The Bills remain a run-funnel defense and are very beatable on the ground. Obviously, Pacheco and Hunt are not Derrick Henry, but Buffalo still allowed Justice Hill to run for 50 yards.
Most importantly, at this point, we’re going all in on the Bills and saving James Cook for the Super Bowl.
A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
It always feels counterintuitive to go all in on the team you think will lose. How can Barkley, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith all produce in a loss? The answer is they probably can’t. Unfortunately, there’s really no other option.
Brown is a very talented player, but he’ll go down as one of the most overrated fantasy wide receivers in recent history. Every year, he’s drafted as an elite WR despite never actually living up to the billing. Brown is merely very good but far too prone to disappearing acts.
Through two playoff games, Brown has just three catches for 24 yards on 10 targets. Even so, we have to use him here if we think the Commanders win.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles’ other WR has been far more effective than Brown. Smith has caught all four of his targets in each of the past two games, totaling 76 receiving yards.
Hey, I never said him being more effective meant he was actually productive.
I don’t feel good about using any aspect of the Eagles’ passing game. But with only four teams to choose from, our options are limited, and our hand is forced.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Playoff Travis Kelce has arrived. The man hits another gear when the games really start to matter.
Last week, Kelce had his best game of the entire season, catching eight passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. It was just his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and his highest yardage total since the Chiefs defeated the Ravens in last year’s postseason.
Much like with Barkley, the time to use Kelce was likely last week. Much like with Barkley, if we think the Bills win, the time to use Kelce is now or never.
